Atlas Physical Therapy
August 2017
Monthly
YOUR PT NEWSLETTER
A Gold-Medal Method The Olympics and Physical Therapy
Boxing was one of the earliest Olympic sports, and it’s still a huge part of the games. The Olympics may have begun with a simple footrace, but it quickly expanded to 20 events. If you look at a list of the oldest events — javelin, discus, boxing, wrestling, and long jump, among others — you’ll quickly notice that many of them are based on functional movements that spectators would easily relate to. I think that’s why the 100-yard dash still holds a special place in the Olympics. Everyone understands what it feels like to run, and everyone can appreciate just how fast the world’s best sprinters can cover the distance. If you break down a lot of sports, you can reduce them to a few functional movements: running, jumping, and lateral motion. These aren’t just the building blocks from which exceptional athletes perform feats most of us can only dream of, they are also the foundation for many everyday tasks. That’s part of the reason why physical
You only need to turn on the TV for a second to realize how central athletics are to our culture. It’s not just that way here in America, but everywhere in the world — and it’s not a recent development. Sporting history is nearly as long as human history, and one of the longest athletic traditions dates back to Ancient Greece. I’m talking, of course, about the Olympic Games, which date all the way back to 776 B.C. I grew up in Rhodes, where we had our own Olympic hero: Diagoras. In fact, he is so synonymous with the place that he’s become known as Diagoras of Rhodes, and both our airport and a local soccer team are named after him. To give you a sense of just how famous he is there, I would say it’s comparable to how beloved Derek Jeter is around here. Diagoras was a boxer who was famed for his superhuman feats of strength. His children and grandchildren were also known for their prowess in the ring.
therapy is so beneficial for both athletes and mere mortals like you and me. By replicating motions that you execute in your daily life, physical therapy provides real benefits to your quality of life. Our goal is to strengthen your body when you’re in the office, so that you don’t have to worry about pain outside of it. There’s no magic to what we do, just science and some hard work. The human body is miraculous, as Olympians demonstrate better than anyone, and learning how it functions can open doors for you. Now, I can’t turn you into a world-class sprinter, and anyone who says they can should go win a gold medal. But what I can do is help educate you about some of the body’s most essential movements and give you the tools to live a pain-free life.
1 www.AtlasPhysicalTherapyNJ.com • 973-325-7212 – Sam Dimitrakis
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Cure for the Common Cold? Echinacea Might Be the Herb You’re Looking For
participants avoided experiencing a cold altogether. Echinacea tea is also extremely beneficial in treating a cold. Another study followed people with early cold or flu symptoms, such as runny nose, sore throat, or fever. The study found that participants who drank several cups of echinacea tea throughout the day for five days experienced shorter periods of sickness than those who drank tea without echinacea. Due to the way echinacea interacts with the immune system, individuals on medication that suppresses the immune system should not take any form of echinacea. People with diabetes, tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, and any autoimmune diseases are also advised against taking echinacea.
Echinacea was a trendy herb in the late 1980s, but it fell out of popularity as the public went on to the next big thing. However, there are many reasons why this fantastic herb should have a place in everyone’s medicine cabinet. The active substances in echinacea can boost immune function, helping relieve pain and reduce inflammation. While an outright cure for the common cold remains elusive, research from the University of Maryland Medical Center shows that echinacea might be the herb you need to get back on your feet faster. Clinical trials show that participants who took a dose of echinacea via a pill or a tincture right when they began to feel sick reduced the length of their cold by one to four days. Fifty-eight percent of
The effectiveness of echinacea is helping the herb quickly become one of the most popular holistic supplements in North America. Just be sure you speak with a doctor before giving anyone in your family a new supplement.
The Effects of Negative News They Say Ignorance Is Bliss … But Is It Healthy?
negative or not — it needs to be the exception to the rule, not the norm. That means watching the news might give you an inaccurate view of what daily life is like in the world. How to Fight the Negativity It’s important to understand the important issues of the day. But when the news becomes too much, psychologists encourage you to take a break with some good news — or no news at all. Advances in medicine and technology happen all the time! Seek out those stories or take a break from news altogether. That’s when no news can become good news.
British psychologist Dr. Graham Davey, who specializes in the effects of media violence, says negative news can affect how you interact with the world. As you consume threatening news, you’re more likely to spot threats in your day-to-day activities that aren’t there, which leads to anxiety. Why Is the News So Negative? As news media revenue goes down and people become desensitized, news organizations feel the pressure to show emotionally relevant material, such as crime and accidents. At a basic level, for something to be “newsworthy” —
It’s nearly impossible to log on to social media or turn on the TV without seeing something distressing. Rather than dwelling on what’s troubling, let’s focus on how to protect our mental health. The Psychology of Bad News A study by Psychology Today found that people who watch negative news feel worse about pre-existing worries than those who watch happy or neutral events. That means people watching the news don’t just feel anxious about the world — they feel more anxious about their own lives.
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CommonQuestions Corner In today’s world, patients have no shortage of options when it comes to treating their ailments. Aside from traditional medicine, you can see a rigorous, scientific practice governed by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). If you’re looking for someone to move energy around or rub herbs on different parts of the body, it’s unlikely you’ll get that from a physical
Why Physical Therapy? for these medications and transition to a life without them. It’s important to remember that these pills only treat pain symptoms; meanwhile, physical therapy can treat the root causes, making the pain go away rather than simply dulling it. Are there instances when physical therapy won’t help? Yes. If you have a broken leg, no amount of physical therapy is going to heal it. After you have surgery, however, physical therapy can be a crucial step in regaining strength and functionality. Physical therapy can also help with pain that comes from a source too subtle to be remedied by surgery.
chiropractor, herbalist, Eastern medicine specialist, and many other healers of varying qualifications and ability levels. In this month’s “Common Questions Corner,” we want to look at why physical therapy fills a need that no other type of medicine can. People often talk about physical therapy as an alternative to surgery or medication. Is PT really alternative medicine?
therapist. When people say physical therapy is an alternative, they simply mean it’s another option. Will physical therapy help manage my pain to the point where I can stop taking medication? As you probably know, dependence on opioid painkillers is a real problem in this country. Physical therapy can often help people decrease their need
It depends on what you mean by alternative. Physical therapy is a
Saganaki
Ingredients
• Oil for frying • ½ lemon
kasseri, or kefalotyri; pecorino sardo will do in a pinch)
• 4 ounces (110–120 grams) cheese (graviera is preferred, but you can use kefalograviera, halloumi, Instructions 1. To prepare the saganaki recipe, slice cheese into strips approximately 2 inches wide and ½ inch thick. Be careful not to slice much thinner, or the cheese will melt into the pan. 2. Place cheese under running water and then dredge in the flour, shaking off excess. This will help the saganaki
• 1–2 ounces (50 grams) flour, for dredging
4. Add the cheese and fry for a few minutes on each side, flipping carefully with a spatula, until golden brown. 5. Serve hot with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Enjoy!
form a nice golden crust and hold its shape when fried. 3. Heat a generous tablespoon of oil in a small heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Test the temperature of the oil by adding a sprinkle of flour. The oil is ready when the flour sizzles as soon as it hits.
3 www.AtlasPhysicalTherapyNJ.com • 973-325-7212
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Inside This Issue 1 2 A Gold-Medal Method Cure for the Common Cold? Ignorance Is Bliss … Is It Healthy?
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Common Questions Corner Saganaki Recipe
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A Brief Guide to Greek Wine
Greece in a Glass
The Nation’s Top Wine Producers
The other great red grape of Greece is xinomavro , most common in the northern region of Macedonia (not to be confused with the country of the same name). Richer than agiorgitiko, xinomavro compares favorably with the wines of Bordeaux and the Napa Valley and costs much less than those big names. Two of the best wineries making xinomavro are Kir-Yianni and Thymiopoulos. Whether you’re planning a vineyard vacation or simply looking for something out of the ordinary to serve at your next dinner party, set your sights on Greece. Don’t be put off by the uncommon, difficult-to- pronounce names. These wines will convert skeptics from the very first sip.
those that use indigenous grape varietals. On the island of Santorini, the most prominent grape is assyrtiko . The white wine made from assyrtiko is tangy, mineral, and complex, reminiscent of Chablis and Sancerre. Standout producers include Hatzidakis and the beloved Domaine Sigalas. Northeast of Santorini, on the Peloponnese peninsula, is the Nemea wine region. The most noteworthy grape of Nemea is agiorgitiko . It is the most widely planted red grape in all of Greece, creating wines with a similar flavor profile to those of Beaujolais. Domaine Skouras bottles the grape on its own, as well as blending it with cabernet franc and merlot.
When you think of old-world wine, France and Italy are probably the first nations that come to mind, with Germany and Austria following closely behind. There’s no denying that all of these countries produce some of the greatest wines on the planet, but you shouldn’t overlook the long history and recent re- emergence of the wineries of Greece. Wine aficionados have shared what was once a secret: Greek wines are unique, delicious, and offer great value. While many producers grow international grapes featured in cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, and merlot, the purest expression of Greek wine can be found in
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